Philly Police Chief Looking For A Few Good Men

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The city's embattled police chief, acknowledging that police alone cannot quell a run of deadly violence, has called on 10,000 black men to patrol the streets to reduce crime.

Sylvester Johnson, who is black, says black men have a duty to protect more vulnerable residents. He wants each volunteer to pledge to work three hours a day for at least 90 days.

"It's time for African-American men to stand up," Johnson told the Philadelphia Daily News, which first reported the story Wednesday. "We have an obligation to protect our women, our children and our elderly. We're going to put men on the street. We're going to train them in conflict resolution."

A noble sentiment, and we all understand the frustration that leads to these kinds of ideas. But: you can add all the patrols you want. You can ask for black men, white women, or hispanic trannies to offer their help.

The only way to revitalize a city is to carefully and methodically dismantle the network of social services which have created a persistent underclass of useless and hopeless people. Only then will the conditions for security and commerce (the bare necessities for social uplift) be created.